Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temple name | 94% | Left-column brush reads 岐阜善光寺 (Gifu Zenkō-ji); the central red seal is the documented lotus + three Sanskrit characters (bonji) representing the Amida Triad — 阿弥陀如来 (top) / 観音菩薩 (bottom right) / 勢至菩薩 (bottom left), confirming this is the 善光寺如来 (Zenkō-ji Nyorai) variant of the temple's three goshuin types. The center brush most likely reads 善光寺如来. Top-right red rectangular seal: 信長奉安旧蹟 ("ancient site of [Oda] Nobunaga's enshrining"). Bottom-left red square seal: 愛護山善光寺安乗院. |
| Date | N/A | Date column not visible / not filled in this image. Estimated 4 April 2025 based on adjacent Gifu-area stamps (Gifu Daibutsu #14 dated 4月4日; Gifu Tōshō-gū #16 dated 4月4日). |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 愛護山 善光寺 安乗院 (通称：岐阜善光寺)
- Name (Romanized): Atogo-zan Zenkō-ji Anjō-in (commonly: Gifu Zenkō-ji)
- Type: Buddhist temple — Shingon-shū Daigo-ha (真言宗醍醐派)
- Honzon (principal images): 善光寺如来 (Zenkō-ji Nyorai) — the Amida Triad: Amida Buddha (中尊) + Kannon Bodhisattva + Seishi Bodhisattva
- Variant: 善光寺如来 goshuin — one of three types offered (the others being 不動明王 and 弘法大師)
- Location: Inaba-dōri 1-chōme, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture
- Date received: Estimated 4 April 2025 (Reiwa 7) based on trip context
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 信長奉安旧蹟 | Nobunaga Hōan Kyūseki — "Ancient site of [Oda] Nobunaga's enshrining" | Top right, red rectangular seal |
| 善光寺如来 | Zenkō-ji Nyorai — "the Buddha of Zenkō-ji" | Center, large black brush |
| 3 Sanskrit characters (bonji 梵字) on a lotus halo: ki-ri-ku (アミダ), sa (観音), saku (勢至) | The Amida Triad in seal-script — central red round seal with these three Sanskrit syllables radiating from a lotus | Center, large red round seal with lotus + sun-rays |
| 岐阜善光寺 | Gifu Zenkō-ji | Left, brush |
| 愛護山善光寺安乗院 | Full formal name (Mountain name + temple + sub-temple) | Bottom left, red square seal |
What is "Zenkō-ji Nyorai" — and why is there a Zenkō-ji in Gifu?
The original 善光寺 (Zenkō-ji) is the famous Nagano-prefecture Buddhist temple housing what tradition holds is Japan's first Buddha image — the 一光三尊阿弥陀如来 (Ikkō-Sanzon Amida Nyorai / "Three-Honored-Ones-in-One-Light Amida") — supposedly arrived from Korea in 552 CE during Emperor Kinmei's reign. The original statue is a secret image (絶対秘仏 / zettai hibutsu) — never displayed, even to senior priests. A copy (maedachi-honzon) is shown publicly only every six years.
The Zenkō-ji Nyorai cult spread nationally, and many temples claim to enshrine 替わり (kawari) duplicates of the secret image. 岐阜善光寺 (Gifu Zenkō-ji / Anjō-in) is one of these — and its specific connection runs through Oda Nobunaga.
The Oda Nobunaga connection — "信長奉安旧蹟"
The top-right seal 「信長奉安旧蹟」 ("Ancient site of Nobunaga's enshrining") is the temple's distinctive identifier. The historical chain:
- 1555 — During the Kawanakajima campaigns, Takeda Shingen removed the original Zenkō-ji honzon from war-torn Nagano and relocated it to 甲府 (Kōfu) for safekeeping at his own Zenkō-ji.
- After 1582 — Following Takeda's defeat by Oda Nobunaga, Nobunaga personally relocated the Zenkō-ji honzon to Gifu, his power base, and enshrined it at his castle's foot (this site).
- After Nobunaga's 1582 death — The image was moved again under successive warlords: Tokugawa Ieyasu took it to Hamamatsu, then Toyotomi Hideyoshi took it to Kyoto's Hōkō-ji.
- 1598 — On Hideyoshi's deathbed, the Buddha was finally returned to the original Zenkō-ji in Nagano.
The Gifu site, having held the original image for some years under Nobunaga, was preserved as a kyū-seki (旧蹟 / "ancient site") — and a duplicate honzon was eventually enshrined there. This is the Zenkō-ji Nyorai goshuin in this scan.
The three goshuin variants of Gifu Zenkō-ji
This temple offers three distinct goshuin, each with different center calligraphy:
- 善光寺如来 (Zenkō-ji Nyorai) — this one — center calligraphy 善光寺如来, with the 3-bonji-on-lotus central seal representing the Amida Triad
- 不動明王 (Fudō Myōō) — center calligraphy 不動明王, with the bonji カーン (kaan) representing Fudō, plus the seal 愛護山善光寺安乗院; honors the Fudō enshrined in the kōdō (lecture hall)
- 弘法大師 (Kōbō Daishi) — center bonji ユ (yu) for Maitreya Bodhisattva (referencing Kūkai's vow to return with Maitreya); reflects the temple's Shingon-shū sect membership
All three feature 「信長奉安旧蹟 岐阜善光寺」 in the upper right.
Why is this temple Shingon and not Tendai?
The original Nagano Zenkō-ji is famously non-sectarian (held by both Tendai and Jōdo abbots in alternating leadership) — but Gifu Zenkō-ji belongs to the Shingon-shū Daigo-ha (真言宗醍醐派), headquartered at Daigo-ji in Kyoto. This is because the Gifu site's institutional history runs through Daigo-ji's branch network rather than through the Nagano Zenkō-ji itself. The Anjō-in (安乗院) sub-temple naming reflects this Shingon-Daigo lineage.
What it's known for / the blessing
- Connection to Oda Nobunaga — the temple is one of the few places in modern Gifu City where Nobunaga's personal Buddhist patronage left direct traces
- 善光寺如来信仰 (Zenkō-ji Nyorai cult) — the broader popular faith in the Zenkō-ji secret Buddha
- One of Japan's "Five Zenkō-ji" alongside Nagano (本家), Kōfu (Yamanashi), Hamamatsu (Shizuoka), and Kyoto (former Hōkō-ji site)
- Companion site to the Gifu Daibutsu (~10-min walk, see #14) — most pilgrims visit both